Saturday, June 29, 2013

31 Days to Life / S.A. Cameron


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Suspense

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

S.A. Cameron is a young adult author writing under a pen name for this book.

Description:

Abducted from her high school parking lot, sixteen year-old Kyra is held captive, forced to go along with the wishes of “John” (her disguised captor) to survive. Released on the thirty first day, she finds that adapting to normal life is a struggle, especially while John is at large and still watching her.

Appraisal:

31 Days to Life is a suspense novel, but the premise is much different than most because the biggest, most obvious risk the protagonist faces is over early. The ongoing risks are harder to gauge. They’re real, but we have no idea how real. The author included a thank you at the beginning of the book acknowledging “guidance of those with firsthand knowledge of sexual abuse,” and I suspect that guidance is reflected in Kyra’s reactions to much of what happens after her release. 31 Days to Life is a good read, not only for the suspense, but the sympathetic portrayal of an abuse victim and the ongoing repercussions they may suffer.

FYI:

Some relatively mild adult themes. This might be aimed at a young adult audience and, at least in my opinion, would be suitable for that audience. Some parents might feel differently, at least for the younger part of the demographic.

Format/Typo Issues:

I reviewed based on an ARC copy and can’t evaluate the final product in this area.


Rating: **** Four stars

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